The Saline River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
accessed March 29, 2011

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...

of the Smoky Hill River in the central

Great Plains The Great Plains is a broad expanse of plain, flatland in North America. The region stretches east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and grassland. They are the western part of the Interior Plains, which include th ...

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

. The entire length of the river lies in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

in the northwest part of the state. Its name comes from the French translation of its Native name Ne Miskua, referring to its salty content.

Geography

The Saline River originates in the High Plains of northwestern

. The south fork of the river rises near the Sherman County- Thomas County line while its north fork rises in central Thomas County. The confluence of the two streams lies in Sheridan County roughly northwest of

Grinnell, Kansas Grinnell is a city in Gove County, Kansas, Gove County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 260. It is located approximately north of the intersection of Interstate 70 in Ka ...

. It flows east for through the Smoky Hills region of north-central Kansas and joins the Smoky Hill River approximately 1 mile south of New Cambria, Kansas in Saline County. The Saline is sluggish and unnavigable with no major tributaries and has a riverbed of

sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is usually defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural ...

and

mud Mud (, or Middle Dutch) is loam, silt or clay mixed with water. Mud is usually formed after rainfall or near water sources. Ancient mud deposits hardened over geological time to form sedimentary rock such as shale or mudstone (generally cal ...

. The Saline River drains an area of . The combined Smoky Hill-Saline Basin drains . Via the Smoky Hill,

, and

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

Rivers, it is part of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

watershed. In Russell County, the river is dammed to form Wilson Lake. The course of the Saline River runs through these counties: * Thomas County, Kansas * Sheridan County, Kansas * Graham County, Kansas * Trego County, Kansas * Ellis County, Kansas * Russell County, Kansas *

Lincoln County, Kansas Lincoln County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat and largest city is Lincoln Center, Kansas, Lincoln Center. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the county population was 2, ...

* Ottawa County, Kansas * Saline County, Kansas

History

The first recorded reference to the Saline River was on October 18, 1724, by French explorer Etienne Venyard de Bourgmont who reported finding a "small river where the water was briny". Bourgmont was on his way to negotiate a peace treaty with the Padouca whose "Grand Village" was then located on the Saline's banks. In 1806, an American expedition led by

Zebulon Pike Zebulon Montgomery Pike (January 5, 1779 – April 27, 1813) was an American brigadier general and explorer for whom Pikes Peak in Colorado is named. As a U.S. Army officer he led two expeditions through the Louisiana Purchase territory, first ...

crossed the river on its way to visit the

Pawnee Pawnee initially refers to a Native American people and its language: * Pawnee people * Pawnee language Pawnee is also the name of several places in the United States: * Pawnee, Illinois * Pawnee, Kansas * Pawnee, Missouri * Pawnee City, Nebraska * ...

. By 1817, the river was known as the "Grand Saline". The Pawnee and the Kanza, who used the area as hunting and trapping ground, claimed land along the Saline until the 1850s when American settlers began to arrive. The Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854 established

Kansas Territory The Territory of Kansas was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until January 29, 1861, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the United States, Union as the Slave and ...

, which included the entire length of the Saline River. By 1873, the U.S. government had forcibly removed the Kanza to a reservation in

Indian Territory Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United States, ...

(now

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

). In August 1867,

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. The Cheyenne comprise two Native American tribes, the Só'taeo'o or Só'taétaneo'o (more commonly spelled as Suhtai or Sutaio) and the (also spelled Tsitsistas, The term for th ...

warriors massacred a party of railroad workers in Ellis County, an incident which led to a battle between the Cheyenne and Buffalo Soldiers from Fort Hays that became known as "The Battle of the Saline River". The Saline River flooded periodically during the late 19th century with particularly destructive floods occurring in 1858, 1867, and 1903. In 1964, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dammed the river in eastern Russell County for flood control, creating Wilson Lake.

References

{{authority control Rivers of Ellis County, Kansas Rivers of Graham County, Kansas Rivers of Lincoln County, Kansas Rivers of Ottawa County, Kansas Rivers of Kansas Rivers of Russell County, Kansas Rivers of Sheridan County, Kansas Rivers of Thomas County, Kansas Rivers of Trego County, Kansas Tributaries of the Kansas River

Geography

History

See also

References